Caster



'D. M.. KENNEDY.

c'AsTERi Y APPLICATION FILED AUGJI, I9l9.

Patented June 8, 1920.

lill, il il il! ,4 TTORNE Y a ,aw/@wifi State of Neur UNiTEn stares DEWEY M. KENNEDY,l 0E ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, AssIGNoR oF vONE-Hamtaro- BENJAMIN E, KENNEDY, 0E ROCHESTER, NEW YoRK.- Y i oAsTER. l

vTo all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, DEWEY M. KENNEDY, of Rochester, in the county of Monroe and York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Casters;

and'I :do hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear',rand 'exact description of the same, reference be ing drawings, forming a part of thisspecification, and to I the references numerals marked thereon.

My present invention relates to casters and has for its object to provide a simple,

ther object of the invention is to providev a caster thatis convertible through afreassemblage of the parts from the fixed type -to the swivel type or vice versa. -To these and other ends the inventionresides in `certain improvements and combinations of parts all as will be hereinafter more the novel features being pointed out Vin the claims at the end of the specification.

In the drawings:

Figure1 is a side view of an article of furniture provided with casters constructed in accordance with andillustrating one embodiment lof my invention*7 the one on the left being fixed and the one on the right being swiveled;

Fig, 2V is an enlarged fragmentary side View of the socket and contiguous parts when the socket 'is adjusted to hold the caster fixed;

Fig. 3 is a similar view with the socket arranged to swivel the caster;

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4.-4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. Fig. 2;

Fig.l 6 is a bottom viewof the caster socket in the position of Figs, 3 Vand 4 showing the yoke in horizontal sectionnand Y l Fig. 7 is a perspective view of .thesocket Similarv reference, numerals throughout the several views indicate the samejparts.

In the present embodiment ,of the invention,'my improved caster is shown applied to a rolling childs crib Vand play coop indicated Ofenerally atl in Fig. 1. l Itv rolls on four VW eels, two of whichl are shown, in the said figure at 2 and thesev are mounted in the manner of Acaster rollers 'on yokes 3f It is 5 is a section on the line 5-5 of ing had to the accompany'- 1 efficient device of this nature that y fully described` Y on each side of the rail 4 specification@ Lettersratent. I pateted Jime'g, 1920 Apliiipationfmee August 171, 1.9719. seran Nagiaen'.. f

' desired by -some to have all V:of the wheels swivel while others like them fixed and in` fr WEGE.;

other instances, it is desirable to have the pair atl one end and the pair at the'other endy swiveled. In Vthe presentA instance, I'

have shown the last mentionedarrangement,

but a feature of( my invention is` the Vfactl that through its fuse the manufacturer, inthe Vfirst instance, orlater the dealer may,` with the same parts, produce any of these combi- 3 l A 65 Referring to Figs. 4 'and 5,' the lower rails, n 4 of thecrib are 4of the'cross section thereVV nations.

shown "and I bore these vertically as indicated at 5 to receive the shank 6V of thecaster A to the lower vprojecting end of ywhichthe- I prefer to form the i caster `o f the type 1n which the yoke swivels yoke 3 is swiveled at 7.V

on theshank rather than the type in whichthese partsare relatively fixed and the shank f turns inv theA socket. Irunthe shank 6 all the way through the rail V4 and thread its upper projecting end at 8 to receive a nut 9" andwasher 10.V

Interposedbetween the top of the kyokek 3 and the rail 4 is a socket plate 11 perforated centrally at 12 to receive the shank 6.

I will first describe this socket inthe position and possessing the functions of Figs. 2 and 5 and as shown at the left in Fig. 1. lThe socket preferably consists ofV a sheet metal lplate perforated at the center as vdescribed blankedout ina manner to provide a i an d set of four upwardly turned ears or lugs 13 located in pairs at'the ends of the'blank and leaving intermediate portions 14 which are.

bent downwardly or in the opposite direction at the center to provide another set'of spaced lugs. In Figs.2 and 5, the socket plate is applied so that the four lugs 13 lock i and prevent the plate from turning while the body thereof is drawn up against the under side ofthe rail by the shank 6 and yokeB. The shank is Vpreferably of just-the `right length so that -when the nut 9 is screwed tight it will draw the plate firmly against the rail without unf dueV strain upon the Vswivel connection between the said shank and the yoke 3 and to further anchor .the plate and at the lsame time space it slightly, I provide it with transverse bosses 15 extending between the pairs of lugs 13 located on opposite sidesof the aperture r12, the spacing being rfor a pur-2 pose that will hereinafter appear. This upon opposite sides ofthe rail`4` and the lugs lB'eXtend downwardly instead of upwardly; But they 'are so far removed from the central Vthe latter so that they aperture l2 of the shank 6 that they are not inthe rotary pathof the yoke 3 and clear become inoperative n .and permit the yoke tot'urn upon its swivel l"connection 7 yand thefivheels toV track corre- Inv ` the irst described i f lies closer againstthe rail 4,as shown in 1 spondinglyin any desired direction. thisposition of the socket plate ,and with the shank Grof the given length required for assembling, the said plate Fig..4 andthe 'lower orswivel end of the shank projects -a greater distance when .the nut 9 is tightened, the projection being increased t a degree equal to the height of the bosses 15.` This is Vjust .enough to preventjthe Ayoke V3 from binding againstv the# socket plate and allows it suiiicientfplay to turn freely as a swivel should, .though the flat surfa'ceof the head of the yoke bears against the bottom of the socket plate as before.

Ity lwill be seen thatiit is as easyto assemble i the Vdevice one way as the other` while it is a simpleoperation at any time to reverse the socket lplate and produce the .different funci I' claim as my invention: Y l. In a caster,- the combination with a yoke,v a shank secured thereto and a wheel within' theV yoke, ofV a socket plate having upwardly extending lugs foilocking the socket to the support and downwardly f adapted to when disposed in proximityf thereto, the

' socket Vplate side withmembers adapted to'space it from v when the yoke islocked against turning. Y i

extending lugs to lock the yoke'against turning.

. 2. In a caster, the combination with a yoke, a shank secured thereto-and awheel'within the yoke', ofva detachable Vsocket plate Vfor the shank reversible thereon and having' upper and lower sets of lugs respectively extending iii opposite directions, either set being adapted to lock the socket to a support and only one set` being adapted to lock the,

turning when disposed in yoke against proximity thereto. Y 3. In a caster,v the combination with a` yoke, a shank secured thereto and ya wheel within th'eyoke, of ya detachable socket plate for Vthe shank reversible thereon and consisting of a centrally perforatedsheet metal i lockthe socket to a support by embracing the latter or thefyoke against rotation ac-v blank having central lugsonits lateraledges turned in one direction and-adapted to either" cording to the relative ,positionfof the yoke f and shank and having end lugs on its lateral edges eXtending`in the opposite ldirection lock the` socket -to and adapted to similarly the support or to clear the yoke and permit of its rotation. y

4. In la caster, the combination witha support, a yoke,'a shank secured to the latter one end and extending through'the support,

the otherendoi:` the!` the yoke, of va del thel shank reversi-V ble thereonv and having upperand lowersets.` Y

a securing device on shank and a wheelvwithin tachable socket plate for oi' lugs respectively' eXtendingin opposite directions, either set being adapted "to lock tliesocket to the support and only one set lock the yoke againstV turning being further provided 'on vone the support .DEWEY M. KENNEDY. 

